Router Table Attachment -- How Good?

[jonmnelson]

I think being able to mount a router to the accessory table is one of the really nice features of my 21829. It's like having two tools in one and is a great space saver. Being a relatively inexperienced woodworker, however, I'm wondering what others think of the router attachment. How does it compare to a separate router table? Any reasons not to use it and buy a separate table instead?

[MikeMcCoy]

A whole lot depends on the space you have available. I've had the router on my table saw extension and moved it to a stand alone. I prefer the stand alone but it eats a lot of precious shop space. The biggest advantage is I built my router table to also serve as out feed for the table saw so it's a small trade off.

[LarryG]

The accessory table router mount works just fine. It's smaller than the average shop-built router table, but is about the same size as many of the benchtop units one can buy. Probably its main limitation is that the hole in the accessory table top (around 2-3/8", IIRC) is too small for large panel raising bits to pass.

A lot of BT owners have used the built-in router mount to build their big standalone router tables. Even then, many continue to use the built-in mount as a secondary router station. Before I retired my BT, I had my old Craftsman 1HP router hanging under mine with a 1/4" roundover bit chucked up more or less permanently.

[Uncle Cracker]

You often have to do a lot of jury-rigging to get functionality out of the router table function of the stock accessory table, beginning with just getting many routers mounted to the table. The relatively small bit opening and inability to adjust height from above the table are also problematic. Although the dual usage of a single space is attractive, many have opted to compromise and build their own router table to attach to the saw, and utilize any of the variety of router plates, lifts, and larger routers available out there.

[LCHIEN]

it's in the FAQ

[JR]

You've asked some great questions. As has already been mentioned, the tradeoff between space and functionality is an important one.

Depending on what your project list looks like, building a router table can be a very productive effort. OTOH, if your plans include mostly straight cuts, with perhaps some simple moldings or edge treatments, mounting a router in the accy table can work just fine.

In either case, it is helpful to have a table mounted router, and you should want that in your shop ASAP. It may be helful to read Hylton's Woodworking with the Router. Among the many many things to be learned there is that you do not need a fancy all-singing, all-dancing setup to do good work. http://www.amazon.com/Woodworking-Ro...7299481&sr=1-1

[JohnnyLisa]

I've used the accessory table for routing on my 21829 with no problems. I was switching routers and bought the Sears version of the Bosch 1617 so the router mounts to the table fine - I don't think others will without some modification, though. I also drilled another hole in the top to use the router's above table adjustment tool. The fence setup looks cheesy, but it is certainly serviceable.

I agree with the others here - while this setup works fine for the occasional routing jobs I've done and is great for saving space, if I get to the point of doing a lot of routing I'll build a dedicated router table with more table surface area.

[Knottscott]

For user friendliness and function, a separate RT typically has the upper hand....more storage, larger surface, better DC, etc. The size of the saw itself dictates the max dimensions the RT can be. However if space is tight, a TS mounted RT is one of the lesser compromises you'll encounter. I've added a cabinet under mine for increased DC and storage.

[jonmnelson]

Does anyone use some sort of guide to use the router "freehand," as opposed to a router table? I imagine the router table is going to provide much greater accuracy, much as a table saw is more accurate than a circular saw and guide? I have a Craftsman router and didn't find mounting it to the accessory table that difficult -- once I figured out which holes to use. I was really pleased with the ease of use and accuracy.

[LCHIEN]

usually bench or stationary tools are best. But
there comes a point at which its easier to move the tool than to move the wood.
for example you want to put a roundover on the dining room table you just finished... definately a job for a handheld router with an appropriate bearing bit guide or a edge guide.

[pelligrini]

For a short time I used the stock 21829 accessory table with my Dwalt router incorporating a custom wood mounting plate. That was quickly replaced with a shop built accessory table using a Jessem Routerlift FX. Adjusting the hight and changing the bits with the stock table was certainly not a pleasure. That routerlift was one of the best upgrades I have done. The stock 21829 router fence was the first thing to go though.

The only thing I don't like is my router fence still attaches to my rip-fence. I really hate getting the router fence all set up just where I need it, and then have to move it to use the saw.

[LarryG]

I don't keep score but will guess that I do at least 75% of all routing on the router table, the remaining 25% hand-held. That last is misleading, though, since the hand-held work includes those operations in which the router is guided by a dovetail jig or shop-built fixture. I probably don't rout literally "freehand" more than two or three percent of the time.

In terms of accuracy, and all else being equal, the fence on a router table is almost always best. A good edge guide can be a close second for those times when it is easier, as Loring says, to take the tool to the wood rather than the other way around. A bearing-guided bit ranks third, but is generally the only choice when routing an irregularly-shaped piece.

[jonmnelson]

For a short time I used the stock 21829 accessory table with my Dwalt router incorporating a custom wood mounting plate. That was quickly replaced with a shop built accessory table using a Jessem Routerlift FX. Adjusting the hight and changing the bits with the stock table was certainly not a pleasure. That routerlift was one of the best upgrades I have done. The stock 21829 router fence was the first thing to go though.

The only thing I don't like is my router fence still attaches to my rip-fence. I really hate getting the router fence all set up just where I need it, and then have to move it to use the saw.

Forgive the newbie question, but why is a router lift so important? With my Craftsman router mounted under the table, I turn a knob on the router that raises or lowers the bit to where I want it. When I'm done routing, I turn the knob and lower the bit so it's beneath the surface of the accessory table. Maybe I don't do enough routing, but I don't find that much of an inconvenience.

As for the router attachments being mounted to the rip fence, I can see where it might get tedious if you need to make a rip while you're still routing. So far anyway, I've been able to cut all my pieces to length/width and then do the routing or whatever else I need to do, but I agree that could be problem.

[pelligrini]

I wouldn't say a lift is all that important, but it sure makes things easier and more exact. I've found that I can easily and quickly dial in an exact (and repeatable) height with the lift. I had a bear of a time adjusting the height setting up a 45 degree locking miter bit before I got the lift. My old craftsman and newer dwalt have an outer ring for height adjustment and a locking mechanism. There was a lot of slop in the craftsman adjusting ring and some in the dwalt.

I try to cut all my pieces before routing, but it doesn't always work out that way. Especially when I have a bright idea* and I change the design.

(*bright idea= idiot, that's why you didn't plan it that way in the first place, it won't work like that!)

[Black wallnut]

Forgive the newbie question, but why is a router lift so important? With my Craftsman router mounted under the table, I turn a knob on the router that raises or lowers the bit to where I want it. When I'm done routing, I turn the knob and lower the bit so it's beneath the surface of the accessory table. Maybe I don't do enough routing, but I don't find that much of an inconvenience.

I agree! I've never felt at loss by not having above the table depth adjustment.

As for the router attachments being mounted to the rip fence, I can see where it might get tedious if you need to make a rip while you're still routing. So far anyway, I've been able to cut all my pieces to length/width and then do the routing or whatever else I need to do, but I agree that could be problem.

I do not like having to use the rip fence for both cutting and routing. There have been a few times when while routing joints tearout ruins a piece and I have had to use the rip fence to make a new piece. By having a router fence that works independently of the rip fence cutting a replacement piece was easy.